Local Content Development: NITDA, NOTAP Forge Alliances

To boost the wide spread of Information and Communication Technology (ICT) in the country, the Director General and Management of the National Office for Technology Acquisition and Promotion (NOTAP), paid a courtesy visit to the Corporate headquarters of the National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA) to seek mutual regulatory partnerships and consolidation of activities for the development of the IT sector.

The Director General of NOTAP, Dr. Dan-Azumi Ibrahim, while lamenting the volume of capital flight in the country, said that his Agency whose mandate it is, to regulate the inflow of foreign technology into the country, has saved Nigeria N182 billion through thorough evaluation and registration of technology transfer agreements.

In his response, Director General, NITDA, Dr Isa Ali Ibrahim Pantami reaffirmed his commitment towards the promotion of Local Content technologies, and discouraged the dependence on foreign technology in Nigeria. He emphasised that NITDA is a clearing house for all IT projects in Nigeria, adding that it is an offence to import any IT component into the country without seeking clearance from NITDA. He further disclosed to the delegation that NITDA established the Office of Nigerian Content in Information Technology (ONC) a semi-autonomous organisation charged with the mandate to develop, promote and monitor local content technologies in Nigeria.

“Nigeria is projected to spend N120Billion by the year 2020 on importation of foreign technologies. It is our collective responsibility to promote our IT local content and discourage the use of foreign technologies to boost the strength of the Naira. Our president is behind any project that is of National Interest and great benefit to Nigerians”.

At the end of the meeting, a committee was set up with members drawn from both organisations to work together and come up with recommendations on how to further reduce the dependency on foreign technologies.